Our Tiny Home: Seating Woes

Over the weekend, my boyfriend's parents visited us in Boston. While the weekend was filled with some delicious meals out, it was also the first time they've seen our new apartment, and I was a bit nervous about what they would think. As I've talked about before, I've put some time and effort into transforming our cozy little place into somewhat of a home. I feel like I've made a lot of progress (I'll post pictures of the whole place tonight), but having them over made me a little more critical of what I still have left to do.

One of my biggest hates in our new apartment is in the bedroom. Our bedroom is actually a very generous size (about the size of the kitchen and living room combined), and so, on top of our bed and armoire, we have room for a little office/seating nook. I love the desk we have from Ikea, as it's small, and its glass top allows it to seamlessly blend into the room. What I don't love, though, is our little seating area. Last year, in our old apartment, we bought this hideous double papasan chair from Pier 1. When we bought it, we simply needed something that would fit in the space and that wasn't expensive. At the time, I was overworked and exhausted - decorating wasn't really on my radar, and so, we bought it. Now, though, I shudder every time I head downstairs and its ugly brown cushion rears its head.

I have been looking for affordable seating options for months now, and to no avail. Everything is either too big, too expensive or too ugly. While Ikea has some good options, I really didn't want to shell out $300+ for a small love seat or armchair that is almost never used. At around the same time I was debating between a chaise lounge, an armchair or a small couch, I came across pallet sofas.

Pallet furniture seems to be big on the DIY scene. Not only are pallets readily available, but you can almost always find them for free. Just a simple search on Craigslist revealed someone about 10 minutes outside of Boston who had 40 free pallets he wants to give away. Not only are the pallets in my budget, but I love the rustic feel they give to a space.

In addition to the pleasing aesthetic we already have the perfect cushion - another $$$$ saver! Right now, we have a twin Ikea mattress under our bed that is not only not being used, but is taking up valuable storage space. I'd love to dress up the setting with a million pillows and also create a little guest bed for family or friends.

For right now, I'm just considering the idea - the DIY blogs I've looked at make this project seem like something I could actually do. At the same time, I'm concerned about the lack of space in terms of sanding and/or staining the pallet as well as bolting the pallets together. I'm hoping I can convince my boyfriend to help me out with this one, so I've gathered some images of some of my favorite examples. I thought I'd share these with all of you and let you know what I'm thinking. If I actually do this, it could be my biggest DIY to date, and I'm excited about sharing the project with everyone!